Roomful of Flanagans attend 100th family reunion

This handout picture was taken in July 2013 at the Flanagan family reunion in Salt Springs.

Submitted photo

By Andy FillmoreCorrespondent

Published: Sunday, July 21, 2013 at 6:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 21, 2013 at 6:46 p.m.

SALT SPRINGS — “There's my mother, Margaret Flanagan, at about age 3,” said Theresa (Flanagan) Robinson, 80, pointing to a Flanagan family reunion picture taken on July 4 — 1916.

About 90 family members — from 1 month old to over 90 and extending out to fourth-cousins — gathered over this past July Fourth holiday weekend at Elite Resorts RV and Cottage Resort for what family members marked as the 100th reunion anniversary.

The event included a luncheon, bingo, cake walk — and lots of chatting.

According to Guinness World Records (www.guinnessworldrecords.com) “the largest family reunion of 2,585 … was achieved by the Lily Family at Flat Top, W.Va., on Aug. 9, 2009.”

Reunions magazine (www.reunionsmag.com) reports the Burton family, descendants of John Pleasant and Susannah Stamper Burton, “celebrated their 125th anniversary reunion” this year in Mitchell, Ind.

Most family members at the Flanagan reunion trace their lineage back to the 10 children of Margaret and Tom “Pup” Flanagan, who uprooted and moved from Pennsylvania to Eureka, Fla., in 1929 and operated a general store and post office.

Siblings Margaret, Tommy, Hazel, Jimmy, Steve, Doris, Marie, Helen, Theresa and Jane were the Flanagan children raised in Eureka and known by family members as “the original 10.”

According to family historian Steve Flanagan, the roots of the Flanagan family in America go back to Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine in Ireland in the 1850s.

“My father, Tom Flanagan, was born in 1889, in Brady Bend, Pa. He and his wife, my mother, Margaret Flanagan, moved the family to Eureka by train in 1929 when I was 4,” Steve Flanagan said.

Michael Flanagan, 67, whose father was Jimmy Flanagan, and his wife, Mary, residents of Atlanta, helped organize this year's event and kept family members connected with emails and phone calls.

Ben and Jo Ann Parramore, of Ocala, attended the Saturday events.

“My mother was Hazel (Flanagan),” said Ben Parramore, 73, who operated the Parramore Music Stores in Ocala with his wife.

The reunion was a “chance to get a hug” instead of contact by computer, Jo Ann Parramore said.

Jimmy Flanagan's daughter, Joyce McKee, of Ocala, came to the reunion with her husband, Dick.

“These reunions are a chance to catch up on births, weddings and funerals,” Joyce McKee said.

“The old wooden Flanagan house, general store and post office in Eureka were still standing until a few years ago,” said McKee, operator of Hill Realty in Ocala.

Joyce McKee's son, Paul Howes, 55, of Ocala, also joined the reunion.

“It seems you meet someone different every year. Now (my) children are hanging out here,” Howes said.

Tim Flanagan, 44, of Jacksonville — Michael and Mary Flanagan's son — is a widower with four sons: Patrick, 11, Brian, 9, Sean, 6 and Kevin, 4. They all came with Tim Flanagan's fiance, Melissa Cirsmaru, and her children, Tristan, 8, and Sarah, 10.

“The lunch was fun and I've seen people with new wrinkles this year,” Patrick said. He indicated he would bring his children to a Flanagan reunion some day.

“I went to Ireland and traced our family ancestry,” Celesta Flanagan Shannon said. Her husband, a native of Wexford, Ireland, joked that “this is a good clan to get into (but) I'm the only true Irishman in the group.”

Joyce McKee said the reunions will continue.

“We're dedicated and family-oriented. In the mid-1980s we kept getting together because we were concerned it might be the last year for an elderly member, but now we just keep coming,” she said.

Mary Flanagan said the 2014 reunion will be held in Salt Springs or Palatka.

<p>SALT SPRINGS — “There's my mother, Margaret Flanagan, at about age 3,” said Theresa (Flanagan) Robinson, 80, pointing to a Flanagan family reunion picture taken on July 4 — 1916.</p><p>About 90 family members — from 1 month old to over 90 and extending out to fourth-cousins — gathered over this past July Fourth holiday weekend at Elite Resorts RV and Cottage Resort for what family members marked as the 100th reunion anniversary.</p><p>The event included a luncheon, bingo, cake walk — and lots of chatting.</p><p>According to Guinness World Records (www.guinnessworldrecords.com) “the largest family reunion of 2,585 … was achieved by the Lily Family at Flat Top, W.Va., on Aug. 9, 2009.”</p><p>Reunions magazine (www.reunionsmag.com) reports the Burton family, descendants of John Pleasant and Susannah Stamper Burton, “celebrated their 125th anniversary reunion” this year in Mitchell, Ind.</p><p>Most family members at the Flanagan reunion trace their lineage back to the 10 children of Margaret and Tom “Pup” Flanagan, who uprooted and moved from Pennsylvania to Eureka, Fla., in 1929 and operated a general store and post office.</p><p>Siblings Margaret, Tommy, Hazel, Jimmy, Steve, Doris, Marie, Helen, Theresa and Jane were the Flanagan children raised in Eureka and known by family members as “the original 10.”</p><p>Five of the 10 brothers and sisters are still living.</p><p>“Original 10” siblings Theresa (Flanagan) Robinson; Steve Flanagan, 88; Tommy Flanagan, 79; and Doris (Flanagan) Bustelo, 91, joined the luncheon on Saturday, July 6.</p><p>■ ■ ■</p><p>According to family historian Steve Flanagan, the roots of the Flanagan family in America go back to Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine in Ireland in the 1850s.</p><p>“My father, Tom Flanagan, was born in 1889, in Brady Bend, Pa. He and his wife, my mother, Margaret Flanagan, moved the family to Eureka by train in 1929 when I was 4,” Steve Flanagan said.</p><p>Michael Flanagan, 67, whose father was Jimmy Flanagan, and his wife, Mary, residents of Atlanta, helped organize this year's event and kept family members connected with emails and phone calls.</p><p>Ben and Jo Ann Parramore, of Ocala, attended the Saturday events.</p><p>“My mother was Hazel (Flanagan),” said Ben Parramore, 73, who operated the Parramore Music Stores in Ocala with his wife.</p><p>The reunion was a “chance to get a hug” instead of contact by computer, Jo Ann Parramore said.</p><p>Jimmy Flanagan's daughter, Joyce McKee, of Ocala, came to the reunion with her husband, Dick.</p><p>“These reunions are a chance to catch up on births, weddings and funerals,” Joyce McKee said.</p><p>“The old wooden Flanagan house, general store and post office in Eureka were still standing until a few years ago,” said McKee, operator of Hill Realty in Ocala.</p><p>Joyce McKee's son, Paul Howes, 55, of Ocala, also joined the reunion.</p><p>“It seems you meet someone different every year. Now (my) children are hanging out here,” Howes said.</p><p>Tim Flanagan, 44, of Jacksonville — Michael and Mary Flanagan's son — is a widower with four sons: Patrick, 11, Brian, 9, Sean, 6 and Kevin, 4. They all came with Tim Flanagan's fiance, Melissa Cirsmaru, and her children, Tristan, 8, and Sarah, 10.</p><p>“The lunch was fun and I've seen people with new wrinkles this year,” Patrick said. He indicated he would bring his children to a Flanagan reunion some day.</p><p>And Sean? He liked “the bingo.”</p><p>Carol Laxton, 79, daughter of “original 10” sibling Margaret Flanagan, was joined at the event by her daughter, Claudia Snook, 56; Snook's daughter, Stephanie Nottke, 27; and Nottke's children Taylor, 2, and Jacob, 4 weeks — the youngest attendee.</p><p>Steve Flanagan's daughter, Celesta Flanagan Shannon, attended with her husband, Michael.</p><p>“I went to Ireland and traced our family ancestry,” Celesta Flanagan Shannon said. Her husband, a native of Wexford, Ireland, joked that “this is a good clan to get into (but) I'm the only true Irishman in the group.”</p><p>Joyce McKee said the reunions will continue.</p><p>“We're dedicated and family-oriented. In the mid-1980s we kept getting together because we were concerned it might be the last year for an elderly member, but now we just keep coming,” she said.</p><p>Mary Flanagan said the 2014 reunion will be held in Salt Springs or Palatka.</p>